Good news, bad news, and more bad news
The good news: The Mississippi River is dropping and will finally fall below flood stage at Cape Girardeau next Monday or Tuesday. It's been above flood stage (32 feet) since June 15. Both gates in the downtown floodwall are open, a rare sight indeed.
The bad news: Another heat wave is on the way. The National Weather Service in Paducah has already issued an Excessive Heat Watch for Monday through Wednesday of next week. This is the earliest I can ever remember them issuing any kind of watch, but their afternoon discussion argues, "Early public notification is paramount."
The temperature at Cape is expected to hit 100°F again on Tuesday (and possibly Wednesday). The ridiculous humidity we had earlier this week, producing heat indices in the 120s on Tuesday, probably won't be as bad next week. Nevertheless, heat indices could easily top 110°F, which is bad enough.
More bad news: The weather service is also concerned about the lack of rain so far this year. Areas just to the south are already considered part of a "moderate drought", a classification that is likely to ensnare Cape Girardeau in the near future. Longer-range forecasts through October don't paint a pretty picture. According to this outlook map, drought development is likely:
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